Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 23, 2017)

Akshay Kumar, who was last seen on TV as the host of the action-reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi in 2011, is set to return with The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. And while work on the comedy show doesn’t kick off before the month-end, Akki, who is currently shooting for the Reema Kagti’s sports-drama Gold in London, is taking an active interest in its run-up. At his behest, internet sensations Zakir Khan and Mallika Dua, and actor-writer Hussain Dalal, who serve as mentors, are undergoing training with Akshay keeping tabs as he wants everything to be perfect.

“Yes, we are taking workshops being conducted by theatre experts, which is great for me as I come from a stage background as well,” Mallika told Mirror.“We’ve had two sessions so far, one of which was conducted on a one-on-one basis.”

According to the comedienne, who’s raked up over three lakh followers on Instagram alone with caricatures and sketches, the trio brainstorms their roles as judges-to-be, and how they will mentor contestants in the workshops. “At the end of the day, it’s about making them better, not about criticising and/ or evaluating.”